Far too many quotes and self-presumed assumptions there to reply to each of your points individually.
My thoughts can simply be summarised by the idea that if you own the gear and you set it up, great - take an image you
really can call your own and enter it. Using a pre-set up rental system requires
little to zero skill, and your astrophotography competition has suddenly just become a Photoshop contest
I'm not going to bemoan your rules and then enter the competition
I'm a non-competitive amateur astronomer anyway, and have never entered any competitions before, and am not seeking any sort of astro fame, so I'm not going to suddenly start now!
I look forward to seeing the entries and results at the star party though. May the 'real' astro imagers amongst you reap your hard earned rewards. I'll certainly be casting my votes accordingly
Regards,
Rob.